Dept: School of Geography, Geology and the Environment
Course: Major Human Geography/ Minor Criminal Behaviour
Year: 2
Ola Dalek
I would say the first month was the hardest for me but also the most exciting one. Since I came from Poland everything was new. I’ve had been to England before but spending holidays in the particular country is a completely different experience to actually living here. I was scared at the beginning and I cried almost everyday because of being homesick! But on the other hand there were things like buying new stuff for my flat, visiting different buildings at the campus, getting my student ID card, first lectures and many, many more that I was thrilled about.
I tried to do as much things as possible to keep myself busy. Despite not speaking English perfectly I started conversations with everyone, especially to people who were not with a group. That way I found my first uni friend, who made my ‘adapting process’ much easier. I also remember meeting one girl whilst I was in a queue during the Fresher’s Week. She was standing in front of me and I asked her about something (like ‘what time is it’, I don’t even remember) and then we started talking. She is not taking my course but we still meet sometimes between the lectures. So, as you can see you can find friends everywhere! Support from the University was also important. Thanks to the Career’s Centre I got my first job here and I can’t even stress enough how much my personal tutor helped me with understanding the University’s system of marking essays and exams. Additionally to that, there was Peer Mentoring which triggered me to get to know the city better and developed my interest in the societies available at the University. Thanks to this I joined Cheer and Stunt, what was a great adventure for me, because cheerleading is not a common thing in Poland. I think, I still have a lot of things to discover about the culture and way of living here, and I can truly say that I am happy and excited every time I come back from holidays in Poland.